Deputy seeks answers over future of vacant site

A senior scrutiny politician has called on the government to set out clear long-term plans for a vacant site in St Helier that was originally earmarked for new healthcare facilities.

The Kensington Place site was cleared three years ago after the Government of Jersey compulsorily purchased the land as part of proposals for a new hospital. However, the area has remained unused since ministers later decided to locate the main inpatient hospital at Overdale.

Deputy Jonathan Renouf, who chairs a scrutiny panel, raised the issue in a written question to the Health Minister, asking what would happen to the empty land. In his response, Deputy Tom Binet said decisions on the future use of the site had yet to be finalised and confirmed that a full review was currently under way.

Deputy Renouf said the lack of certainty was frustrating and called for swift clarity, particularly around whether the site would continue to play a role in healthcare provision. He added that he would welcome temporary or interim uses while longer-term plans were being developed.

“The minister has said he is rethinking what he wants to do with the site,” Renouf said. “All we can do now is hope that process moves very quickly.”

He said he remained unclear about the government’s intentions, describing the site as a significant part of the island’s health estate that had received little attention while focus remained on the Overdale development.

“It’s a large area and an important one,” he said. “Overdale matters, but we also need to look at what happens to the rest of the health estate, and at the moment there’s very little information available.”

In response, Deputy Binet said extensive work had been taking place behind the scenes. He said more than 100 meetings had been held over the past six months involving the New Healthcare Facilities Programme, external advisers, hundreds of Health and Care Jersey staff and other stakeholders.

He said the work was aimed at reviewing services and updating demand and capacity modelling to inform future decisions. The minister also noted that while the Kensington Place site remained undeveloped, it had been used for the storage of clinical supplies, materials and equipment.